Tsouthworth,
You basically need to perform a third experiment: Strip the shield of your old MIT wires and try them one or the other direction.
As to the recording onto cassette the pulling strength is different throughout the whole cassette tape length especially at the very beginning and at the very end. Thus the alignement can't be perfect as well even on mega-priced tape decks. What can be great there is electronics making a clean recording and sound.
Open reel recorders are to the less degree affected but still recording engineers wind forward and leave the rest at least 15...20meters unrecorded from both tape ends to make sure that the tape strength will be more stable and so is head alignement.
You basically need to perform a third experiment: Strip the shield of your old MIT wires and try them one or the other direction.
As to the recording onto cassette the pulling strength is different throughout the whole cassette tape length especially at the very beginning and at the very end. Thus the alignement can't be perfect as well even on mega-priced tape decks. What can be great there is electronics making a clean recording and sound.
Open reel recorders are to the less degree affected but still recording engineers wind forward and leave the rest at least 15...20meters unrecorded from both tape ends to make sure that the tape strength will be more stable and so is head alignement.